[spotlight]
a daily dose of info & resources on sustainable style
Super Bowl XLI Goes Carbon Neutral
September 19, 2006
Super Bowl XLI is coming to Miami in February; for the third year in a row, the big event will be carbon neutral. By planting hundreds of trees, the Super Bowl hopes to mitigate its impact on the warming climate, but that's not all they've got up their sustainable sleeves.
They collect and donate leftover prepared food to local shelters and food banks, and leftover decorative materials, building materials, office supplies and other reusable items go to local charities. There is also a solid waste management plan and environmental guidelines for all vendors and contractors.
greenermiami.com via hugg.com
Good Green News: Ideas and Inspiration for a Good Green Life
September 18, 2006
From the author of great green books like Good Green Kitchens, Redux and Good Green Homes comes Good Green News, a free newsletter of ideas and inspiration for a good green life. The latest issue includes ideas to cut winter heating bills, good green cooking advice, and much more.
Jennifer Roberts, green building expert and author, advocates ways in which we can improve our environment and enrich our lives by building better buildings through her books, newsletters and lectures.
jenniferroberts.com
MTV2 Greens $2Bill Tour with Jared Leto's Help
September 15, 2006
MTV2's $2Bill tour, featuring 30 Seconds to Mars (fronted by Jared Leto), will be fueled by biodiesel. Hitting 30 cities between October 17 and November 25, tickets for each show are just $2 each (while they last) and go on sale at noon on Sept 16th (tomorrow!) at Ticketmaster.com.
About the use of biodiesel, singer Jared Leto said, "Taking this approach gives us the opportunity to set an example and share with others the possibilities of real alternatives for a safer, cleaner world."
mtv2.com via yahoo.com
Ashton Kutcher Donates $50,000 to Habitat for Humanity
September 14, 2006
In his next film, The Guardian, Ashton Kutcher plays a Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer; members of the Coast Guard saved more than 33,000 lives during the Hurricane Katrina last year, so Ashton is donating $1 to Habitat for Humanity for the first 50,000 MySpace users that become friends of his page.
Habitat for Humanity continues to be an instrumental presence in helping the Gulf Coast rebuild, so it's great to see Ashton pitching in to help where it's needed most.
myspace.com/ashtonkutcher
method Fights Dirty with Wind Turbines and Trees
September 13, 2006
Best known for "fighting dirty" with sweet-smelling, biodegradable cleaners, method is now fighting climate change by offsetting their collective carbon emissions through the purchase of renewable energy credits and forest sequestration offsets.
They've spread their carbon-neutral love around. By purchasing wind energy credits method is helping to reduce over 950,000 pounds of CO2 emissions in just one year - as much as a car would produce in over 1 million miles of driving. By supporting the planting of 1,000 trees, method is offsetting the estimated 100 metric tons of CO2 emissions associated with its employee commuting and air travel footprint. That equates to offsetting the emissions of over 245,000 miles of driving. Nice work!
peopleagainstdirty.typepad.com
Good Magazine: Merging Capitalism and Idealism
September 12, 2006
Premiering this month, bimonthly Good Magazine encourages conscious global citizens to come together to do good and "give a damn" about the planet, social justice, politics, culture, anything. They're out to prove that doing good isn't just for do-gooders anymore; it's for us all.
The weighty topics are treated with a can-do attitude, which, when combined with hip layouts, photography and illustration and a dose of humor, keeps the LA-based magazine accessible without losing its intelligent edge. The mag is printed on recycled paper, and your $20 subscription gets donated to the non-profit of your choice.
goodmagazine.com via coolhunting.com
Organic Hits Fashion Week
September 11, 2006
John Patrick’s Organic is just one eco-friendly line showing at Fashion Week. It is a small eco-friendly collection of clothes using the "crunchy concept with a nice dose of fashion in charming eyelet dresses, sexy hand-knit sheaths and fluid linen pants."
More and more eco-fashion is showing at the tents in Bryant Park, with more bamboo, coconut and soy based fabrics than ever before.
wwd.com via ecorazzi.com
Clinton Gets a Hybrid for Climate Change Initiative
September 7, 2006
Ford Motor Co. is donating a Mercury Mariner Hybrid for use by former President Bill Clinton. The former president's nonprofit foundation launched the Clinton Climate Initiative last month to fight climate change.
The initiative will focus on cutting down on American cities' energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. "I'm happy to have a fuel-efficient vehicle to do my part," Clinton said in a statement.
freep.com via jalopnik.com
Seattle's Ballard Neighborhood: The US's First Climate-Neutral Community
September 6, 2006
Seattle's Ballard neighborhood (where SSF's main office is located!) has plans to become the first climate-neutral community in the country. A group of politicians, environmentalists and businesspeople will all be working together to help offset the neighborhood's carbon footprint.
The offset will be made through investments in alternative and renewable energy; besides making donations that go to major carbon-reduction projects, people can make a difference by driving less, recycling and reusing items, switching to a push lawn mower and reducing energy use at home, the city of Seattle says.
seattlepi.com via gristmill.grist.org
CSNY Visits Biotown, USA
September 5, 2006
This weekend, members of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and their biodiesel-powered tour buses stopped in Reynolds, IN (also known as BioFuel, USA) while traveling from tour stops in Indianapolis to Chicago. The group stopped to promote the town's biofuel message.
"I think it's much better to produce our fuel here and give our money to American farmers then it is to send it to Saudi Arabia where they don't even like us," said David Crosby, as their bus was topped off with B20 (20% biodiesel) on their way to Chicago.
autobloggreen.com
Vivavi's Modern Green Living Directory
September 1, 2006
A directory built to help you design, build, remodel, furnish or find a beautiful green home, the Modern Green Living Home Directory can help you connect with green interior designers, architects, builders, consultants and realtors.
Locate luxury green apartments, condos, prefab homes and residential communities, brought to you by Vivavi, a great source for modern, sustainable design and furniture.
moderngreenliving.com
Bonnie Raitt Rocks the Green Highway
August 31, 2006
Working with non-profit group Reverb, Bonnie Raitt's most recent tour is highlighting the Eco-Village concept she helped launch a few years back. The village is an interactive display promoting hybrids, biodiesel and other alternative fuels and energy resources.
Reverb also works with other rock acts, including Dave Matthews and Guster. The idea is to offer an interactive environmental awareness exhibit that music fans can enjoy before the concert or during intermission.
autobloggreen.com
Chevy and MTV Team Up to Promote E85 at 2006 VMAs
August 30, 2006
In an effort to promote biofuels and their commitment to alternative fuel sources, Chevy is teaming up with MTV's 2006 Video Music Awards for an evening of awareness. As the "official vehicle" of tomorrow night's Video Music Awards (VMAs), Chevrolet will provide a customized fleet of 60 E85 (85% ethanol) compatible SUVs to transport talent to the Awards telecast at Radio City Music Hall.
Chevy has also designed a multiplatform program centered around the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards to include the branded fleet, in-program content (Chevy will present the pre-show "Top of the Rock" concert and provide the "Chevy Fly-Cam" with aerial shots of red carpet arrivals) and on-line/off-line advertising. The show will be available to a potential viewing audience of more than 1.3 billion people via MTV’s global network of 50 channels reaching 481.5 million households around the world as well as through syndication.
treehugger.com
Travelocity and Expedia Offer Carbon Offsets for Flights
August 29, 2006
Travelocity and Expedia have both begun offering customers the opportunity to offset the carbon emissions from their airplane flights. Travelocity is working with The Conservation Fund's Go Zero program, and offers carbon offsets to anyone buying a vacation package (flight + hotel + rental car). Expedia is working with TerraPass and offers the offsets to anyone purchasing a plane ticket.
The carbon offsets in the Go Zero program are offered as an option that customers can add during check-out when booking a vacation package on Travelocity. A contribution of $10 offsets an average trip including air travel, a one-night hotel stay, and rental car for one person. Expedia.com travelers can choose from three levels of TerraPass to purchase during the process of booking a flight or package; prior to checkout, Expedia customers will be offered a chance to purchase a TerraPass that funds enough clean energy to balance out the CO2 emissions caused by their flights.
greencarcongress.com
Biodiesel Hotline: Find Biodiesel Anytime with Your Phone
August 28, 2006
The National Biodiesel Board recently launched a toll-free hotline to help truckers and motorists find retail pumps anywhere in the US. 866-BIODIESEL is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with staff that has access to mapping software linked to a nationwide database.
Populated and kept up to date with retail outlets carrying biodiesel, the database also has information about truck accessibility and blend percentage of biodiesel to petro-diesel. The information has been previously accessible online; the new service gives people behind the wheel fast access to biodiesel without having to stop for an internet connection.
biodiesel.org via autobloggreen.com